Medical records for Jacob Oakie confirm growing concerns for inmate medical care and use of force at Marion County jail
Jacob Oakie at a family wedding. [supplied]
The death of a 39-year-old Ocala man in the Marion County Jail last year is highlighting concerns about the quality of care afforded those in the custody of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, which runs the facility. Records show that the number of deaths in custody at the jail is more than four times the national average.
Jacob Oakie died after developing pneumococcal meningitis. He was transported by EMS from the jail’s infirmary, which is run by Heart of Florida, to AdventHealth Ocala on July 26. He was immediately placed in the ICU but was removed from life support two days later “due to the severity of the illness,” according to an MCSO report.
Oakie was jailed on June 20 on a charge that he violated his probation from a November 2022 arrest for possession of methamphetamine. He was jailed after a urine test showed signs of amphetamine and methamphetamine use. MCSO jail records reflect Oakie was a nonviolent offender.
Oakie’s family expressed gratitude to the hospital staff for their efforts to save him, but they want to know why the jail medical staff waited so long to have him moved to the hospital or to give him antibiotics to fight the infection.
They also wonder why they only learned from a journalist, and not the MCSO, about the use of force by corrections officers on Oakie just two hours before he was brought to the hospital.
Oakie is among 31 people who have died while in MCSO custody over the past four years. Some of the cases have involved the use of force by corrections officers, while other inmate deaths stem from illnesses that progressed under questionable medical care. In some cases, the inmates suffered from both a lack of medical care and the use of force.
Nationally, about 1.40 deaths per 1,000 incarcerated people occur on average annually, according to the National Institutes of Health. The Marion County Jail holds an average of 1,600 to 1,700 inmates at a time. Since January 2021, 31 inmates have died in custody, an annual average of 4.4 deaths per 1,000 incarcerated people.
The “Gazette” has reported on many of those cases in recent months as part of an ongoing investigation into the quality of medical care at the jail.
Records obtained by the “Gazette” reflect that the sheriff’s office knew there was a pattern of medical staff not providing timely care to inmates housed at the Marion County Jail.
Rather than address the concerns, the MCSO fired the whistleblower who created the reports tracking the problem in August 2024, approximately a month after Oakie’s death.
Ten months later, the MCSO has not replaced the whistleblower position and has stopped creating the public record report that tracks HOF’s compliance with Florida’s model jail standards.
James Slater, the attorney for Oakie’s family, obtained medical records for Oakie from the Heart of Florida Health Center and provided them to the “Gazette.”
After reviewing the documents, Marilyn Oakie, the inmate’s mother, said, “The records make me sick. They support what the doctor at the hospital told me, that he just needed antibiotics and my son would still be here.”
“No one can fathom how extremely nightmarish this is,” she continued. “It’s all I think about morning, noon and night.”
Reflecting on her son’s temperament, she said, “My son was not a loud or violent guy. He told me over the phone the last time we spoke that he was hurting very badly and couldn’t get medical help. When I didn’t hear from him after that, I was worried.”
Meningitis is a “potentially fatal” medical emergency that requires immediate care at a hospital, with risk of death within 24 hours, according to the World Health Organization.
“Even with proper diagnosis and treatment, up to 1 in 5 people who develop this condition will die. Long-term health problems occur in around 20% of people who survive pneumococcal meningitis. These problems include brain damage, deafness, learning disabilities, paralysis,” according to Healthline. “Because this disease is so dangerous, it’s very important to go to the doctor right away if you suspect you have it.”
The following timeline of care, as reflected in the HOF medical records which substantiates a growing concerns about the level of medical care at the jail:
June 20, 2024: Oakie is incarcerated, and initial intake forms indicate he weighs 112 lbs.
June 27: Oakie fills out an inmate medical request form and says, “I’m hypoglycemic and I’m losing weight. Can I please get a food bag please, thank you.”
July 4: Heart of Florida staffers do a Health Evaluation and Assessment; Oakie now weighs 108.4 lbs. He’s approved by the nurse to work in the jail.
July 5: HOF records indicate Oakie is on weight checks for the next 30 days and direct staff to notify the kitchen that he should be on a 3,000-calorie daily diet. A diet order form is in Oakie’s medical file but jail records don’t indicate if the kitchen staff ever received the order.
July 6: A HOF record indicates staffers were processing Oakie’s inmate medical request for food.
July 7: HOF records reflect Oakie tested negative in a tuberculosis skin test.
July 18: Oakie submits another Inmate Medical Request Form that states, “Really bad ear infection, it’s hurting really bad, I need medicine now, it’s hurting horribly.”
July 19: HOF records reflect Oakie is complaining of nasal congestion, cough and body aches. Oakie “states that his left ear is painful, and intermittently drains fluid,” and that “the left side of the jaw is swollen/painful.” Nurse Collen Rutland prescribes 400mg of ibuprofen and mucus relief, as needed. Oakie is told to follow up if his pain worsens.
July 20: Oakie is a walk-in at the jail infirmary and says the pain has worsened. Nurse Umba tells him to return if the pain worsens.
July 21: MCSO records indicate this was the last day Oakie spoke by phone to anyone outside the jail. Oakie had been calling and talking with his mother every day since his incarceration 30 days ago. His mother said Oakie was complaining that he had an earache and was trying to get help for it.
July 22: At 10 a.m., Oakie is weighed in at 103.8 lbs. and continues to complain of left ear and head pain. Nurse Sandy Gomez diagnoses Oakie with a common cold and prescribes Tylenol and an antihistamine and sends him back to the general population.
July 22: At 4:10 p.m., Oakie is experiencing dizziness, nausea, and vomiting and he’s “sweating profusely.” He’s transported to the infirmary for nurse observation for 23 hours. His weight is 104.6 lbs.
July 22: At 7:28 p.m., Oakie ate some food and was being monitored for the same symptoms under R.N. John Little.
July 23: At 8 a.m., D. Cunningham, ARNP, ordered a blood culture, prescribed IV fluids, cold medicine, antihistamine and anti-nausea medicine and said Oakie should be in isolation.
July 23: At 8:15 a.m., records show Oakie’s temperature is at 101.8 and he is placed on a water and ice chips diet by Cunningham after he vomited.
July 23: At 9:28 a.m., records reflect an order for X-rays of Oakie’s chest and continued prescription of IV fluids, cold medicine, antihistamine and anti-nausea medicine.
July 23: At 3:59 p.m., Labcorp faxes Oakie’s bloodwork results to HOF, but nurses there continue to indicate in reports that the results are pending over the coming days.
July 23: At 4:51 p.m., records indicate X-ray results are pending and confirm Oakie is still on the same treatment plan, receiving only water and ice chips.
July 23: At 7:16 p.m., Nurse L. Tyson indicates Oakie had started dry heaving, and medical staff are still waiting for bloodwork results.
July 24: At 9:14 a.m., Cunningham reports “dark colored liquid vomit noted in red bag.” The current medical plan continues except that Cunningham asks for a hepatitis panel and blood sugar test for the next three days.
July 24: At 3:37 a.m., LPN Maria Kuntz indicates Oakie has a blood sugar reading of 153 and continues the medications for cold and nausea.
July 24: At 4:36 a.m., Kuntz enters a nearly identical note to Oakie’s chart as was entered less than an hour before.
July 24: At 8:18 p.m., R.N. A. Younes confirms the same treatment for Oakie, notes a negative COVID test, notes a blood specimen for a hepatitis panel and writes that Oakie is complaining of “dizziness with ambulation.”
July 25: At 3:52 a.m., Younes reports a blood sugar reading of 146 for Oakie and continues the same medications.
July 25: At 5:15 a.m., Younes reports Oakie is standing next to a toilet coughing and spitting in the toilet and stating he vomited and asked for water. Younes tells Oakie he cannot have water and is told to return to his bed and reminded that there is a biohazard bag next to the bed in case of vomiting. “Inmate stated he didn’t want to use the red bag or get back in bed, fall risk education given verbally. Inmate not receptive, witnessed inmate drinking water from faucet,” Younes wrote of the encounter.
July 25: At 1:41 p.m., R.N. Leslie Tyson indicates bloodwork is still pending and Oakie’s temperature is at 102.9. A recheck of his temperature an hour later comes in at 100.4.
July 25: At 8:51 p.m., Younes reports Oakie’s temperature is 101.2 and staff is trying to collect a stool sample.
July 26: At 1:38 a.m., Younes reports Oakie has refused another IV and stated, “I want to go back to the pod.” The information was contained on a Refusal of Treatment Form dated 7/26/24 signed by nurses Younes and Cunningham. The line for the patient signature is blank on the form.
July 26: At 2:01 a.m., Younes indicates Oakie has removed his IV port and “continued for several hours yelling he wanted to leave the infirmary.”
July 26: At 3:30 a.m., Younes confirms a bowel movement with blood in it. Younes says inmate did not answer twice to requests for permission to place a new IV.
July 26: At 4:33 a.m., Younes reports Oakie’s blood sugar reading is 206.
July 26: At 4:37 a.m., Younes reports Oakie weighs 104.6 lbs.
July 26: At 5:43 a.m., Younes reports Oakie is “not answering questions” and that pepper spray was used on Oakie, after which he received a 15-minute shower. MCSO records also reflect Deputy N. Custodio sprayed pepper spray in Oakie’s face because Oakie would not respond to orders. Deputies L. Gordon and B. Lovino placed Oakie in hand restraints and put him in a decontamination shower for 15 minutes before he is returned to the infirmary cell.
July 26: At 7:44 a.m., for the first time, Oakie’s blood work from July 23 is referenced in HOF records by R.N. Lucille Fraser. Minutes later, Fraser writes, “Patient transported to AdventHealth hospital as per Dr. Rodriguez for altered mental status, elevated white blood count with the request to rule out sepsis.”
July 26: At 7:41 a.m., someone at the jail calls 911 for medical transport. County call records indicate multiple calls were increasing the urgency/priority of the call.
July 26: At 8:15 a.m., ambulance paramedics report they have transported Oakie to AdventHealth within a minute of being notified of a sepsis alert. According to medical records of AdventHealth, Oakie went into respiratory distress in the emergency room and had to be intubated.
July 28: At 8:40 p.m., Oakie’s mother makes the difficult decision to take Oakie off the ventilator. Oakie is pronounced dead seven minutes later.
July 29: The Medical Examiner indicates to MCSO that their office could only conduct an external examination due to Oakie’s contagious illness.
In an email dated May 20, 2025 with the “Gazette” a spokesperson for the Medical Examiner’s office confirmed it did not receive HOF records for Oakie.
MCSO identified the cause of Oakie’s death as “natural causes.”
MCSO indicates there is video surveillance outside of Oakie’s cell but not inside the cell. They have refused to let the family, or the “Gazette,” view the footage.
In its death-in-custody report to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, MCSO writes, “An investigation into the incident revealed that the inmate had been receiving treatment in the infirmary for an altered mental state. A decision was made by medical staff to transport him to a local hospital by ambulance for further treatment. The inmate ultimately was removed from life support at the request of his family. The cause of death was determined to be natural, caused by Pneumococcal Meningitis.”
Neither the FDLE nor State Attorney William Gladson’s office has investigated Oakie’s death.
Despite the “Gazette” sharing the timeline of Oakie’s case with HOF and MCSO, the agencies refuse to provide any explanation for the patient’s treatment, including why he was subjected to pepper spray in the face while he was in dire medical need.
Under the $12 million annual contract between the HOF and MCSO, the cost of medical malpractice insurance is included in the rates being charged by HOF; however, MCSO says they don’t have a copy of that insurance information, and HOF has not provided it upon the request of the “Gazette.”
MCSO’s annual contract includes HOF paying for any specialty and hospital care for inmates, which could create a nexus whereby HOF has financial interests in delaying inmate care under the contract.
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